For decades, home economists and budget gurus have preached the gospel of the weekly meal plan as the ultimate tool for saving money. The traditional advice suggests that you should sit down on Sunday and decide exactly what you want to eat for the next week. Then create a rigid shopping list based on those recipes, and buy only what is written on that paper. While this method certainly prevents impulse buying, it contains a fundamental financial flaw that often leads to overspending. By deciding what you want to eat before you know what costs the least, you voluntarily surrender your leverage as a consumer. The “Reverse Meal Planning” method flips this script entirely. It demands that you shop first and plan second.
